


Pages and Paragraphs

by cinnamxn



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Good Guy TM, Infatuation, Made Lots of People on Wattpad Ship This, Romance, Unrequited Love, You May Hate Me for Making You Ship It, kinda sad, purely cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-31
Updated: 2017-02-09
Packaged: 2018-09-25 14:02:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9823757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinnamxn/pseuds/cinnamxn
Summary: When Fairy Tail broke up Lucy had nowhere to go. Everything she had ever been able to call 'home' was gone, and she was all alone.Without her friends, she finds herself relying on Jason - the reporter from Sorcerer's Weekly Magazine, who barely gave her a second glance when she first met him.





	1. Part 01.

**Author's Note:**

> The Journalist &  
> The Forgotten Fairy

### ✦ FORGOTTEN FAIRY

When he found her, she was a mess. A strong mage of Fairy Tail brought down to her knees in a small apartment room, struggling to maintain her rent. His original task was a story from her, but upon realising her pain, he could not help but realise that writing a story about her would not be a _cool_ thing to do. The headline _‘FIORE’S STRONGEST GUILD BREAKS UP’_ would need to wait until another day.

“Miss Lucy Heartfilia?” Jason called to her, with a tenderness that would shock the blonde from the memories she had become lost in. Her head rose up, and her caramel eyes came to focus on him. The once bubbly celestial wizard seemed like she was floating in space, and the earth around her had shattered. Jason wondered if maybe that was how it felt to suddenly lose one’s job and friends.

He watched her face twist, until she gave the most fake smile he had ever seen. “Ah, J... Jason, right? Are you here to ask about Fairy Tail?”

 

### ✦ FILLED WITH SADNESS

He noticed many differences in Lucy Heartfilia, in the short time he was there. He wondered how many of them had been there the last time he had seen her, but due to the lack of intimacy between them, he had been oblivious to. Her eyes were sad, and she spoke of her guild as if they were higher than her – like she was unworthy of them. She put herself down. And when he asked her about her plans for the future, she had no faith in her golden heart.

At the moment she showed such doubt, Jason realised that he wanted her to feel happy, no matter the costs. She told him to just call her Lucy – no honorific.

The only cool thing to do… “Lucy, I’ll help you get back on your feet!” he promised.

For the first time, she gave a smile that look genuine. “Thanks, Jason… But you don’t need to do that. I’ll manage on my own.”

This only fuelled his desire to help. Jason stared dead at her, seeing the puff in her tear-stained cheeks and the veins in bloodshot eyes. He saw her hair, brushed but not quite tidy, and he saw the lips curved downwards. “I understand why you would want to do this alone…” he said, a smile coming to his lips, “But your guild was always one to rely on each other, and I imagine after that, it’ll be hard to get back into independence. So until then, I hope you can rely on me.”

There was silence. Lucy’s eyes skirted away, and her cheeks became pink. “Thanks, Jason…” she repeated, but without rejecting his help this time. That was just enough.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure I’m dependable for you!”

 

### ✦ NEEDS COMFORT

That night he comforted her. If the shadows forming under her eyes had not already been evident, then her midnight sobbing gave away an inability to sleep. Lucy Heartfilia was utterly depressed, and this fact sank deep into Jason's chest. He thought about what Fairy Tail must have meant to her.

He thought about what having a best friend might be like. He thought about how it feels to have so many people willing to defend you in a moment's notice. He thought about how this sudden mass of friendship would affect a girl who grew up in a lonely mansion. He thought that he might cry, too, when he realised that it was something he would never understand.

With a tentative knock, he let himself into her room. Being a stranger, there was not much he could do to help. Rather than hold her, or tell her everything was going to be okay, he pulled her blanket over her shoulders, and placed his handkerchief on the bed in front of her. He sat on the bed, and waited. She managed to sleep about two hours later, but not until she'd summoned a white dog to hold close to her heart. For a few minutes, he watched her sleep.

Jason considered if he would feel that bad should Sorcerer's Weekly fire him - that, he thought, must at least be close to her feeling right then. In that case, there would only be one thing that would make him feel better. The idea seemed dumb, and useless.

Then when his eyes fell on a stack of magazines under Lucy's desk, his eyes lit up, and he could only stifle a shout of glee.

 

### ✦ I WANT TO SEE HER SMILE

Lucy did not expect Jason to come back two days later. This was evident by the drop of her lip as she opened her door to see him. She looked even more a wreck than when he had left her; that time while she finally got some sleep at the expense of a spirit summoning and a stolen handkerchief. "J-Jason? What are you doing here?"

"Lucy!" he thrust a letter at her face, too fast and too close for her to read. "You've got a job at Sorcerer's Weekly! Isn't that COOL!?" His mouth unhinged wide to let out the shout, and he looked utterly ecstatic.

There were a few silent moments, where his cheerful exterior faltered, curious as to how much help this really was. Lucy had snatched the paper, reading it over with keen eyes. Jason imagined her reading his articles with that regard - eyes skimming over word by word, sometimes moving in a silent whisper as she stumbled over a key point.

Slowly, a light came to those dull eyes. It was not love, and perhaps not even any real semblance of happiness. It was something else. Hope, maybe. Or determination. What he did know, was that he gave her something to work towards. But then, she started blushing, laughing.

And as he saw that smile, he realised it made him feel a million times better, and fixed problems he did not even know existed within himself. "An underwear model?" she asked, giving a smirk. And as he nodded his head like a goof, his heart was melting.

"Imagine," he said, his hand floating through the space in her doorway, as if a game show hostess presenting a gallant prize: "The face of Lucy Heartfilia on the cover of Sorcerer's Weekly, wearing nothing but Heart Kreutz latest undergarments... It would be so COOL! The sales would be off the scale!"

She covered her mouth, and her laughter calmed down. It was a sweet sound when she agreed to the job offer, but then when she thanked him, he thought he would never hear a song sung sweeter.


	2. Part 02.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Journalist &  
> The Underwear Model

### ✦ UNDERWEAR MODEL

Nobody they hired could own the camera like Lucy did. Her body was naturally curvaceous, the perfect bait to attract male readers, and she seemed to suit almost any colour they tried on her – green, orange, purple, pink, blue, yellow... heck she even looked great in white. Jason was there for most of her shoots, making sure she was happy and comfortable in the job he gave her. Although at first she seemed hesitant, she fell into the job role quickly and efficiently. Posing and smiling for the camera were two things that seemed normal to her. Apparently, Lucy did not mind flaunting her body at all, and for a month, the attention it gave her was enough to pay for rent, gain her piles of letters from fans and admirers and even make her smile a little more when she walked down the street.

There were so many things that made her the best there. To Jason, it was mostly her smile. He was so glad it had made a return.

Jason had never noticed the mage much before. Many had described her, in interviews, as someone who was easy and fun to torment. Jason did not understand that, but perhaps it was because he got to know her in a different time. To him, Lucy was someone he wanted to make smile. And the more she smiled, the more he felt like he had done right by her.

 

### ✦ UNPARALLELLED BEAUTY

"You can take a break now." The photographer said, and Lucy let out a heavy breath of air. She had been holding her pose for too long, and her legs had begun to cramp. As she struggled, Jason moved to help her.

"You don't need to do this," she told him sweetly, for the second time that week.

Jason grabbed her outstretched arm. She was wearing a more alluring piece this time. Rather than a piece of skimpy underwear, it was a dress, white and loose. It was innocent silk, not exposing anything too crazy, but the submissive pose had transformed the dress into a wet-dream-come-true. Once he got her on her feet, that effect was gone. She only looked like an angel.

Her golden hair was like a halo.

Her eyes had looked into the heavens.

He grinned. "It's the least I can do for our greatest model!"

Jason's eyes sometimes lingered on her for too long, so he kept them closed at times like this. It was a strange quirk, to her, just like the way he shouted when excited.

"COOL!" she looked where he pointed, and found that it was at the next outfit on her clothing rack. Lucy screamed. As her face turned red, Jason was slightly worried.

Before he could ask what's wrong, Lucy was already saying, "I can't wear that! It's barely even underwear!"

He looked at her. Her face was completely red, and her lips were stammering, and she was holding her ears as if trying to block out imaginary voices that told her how the dress made her look. As she broke into tears, Jason could not help but choke back a laugh. Suddenly, he understood why her friends liked to torment her, but that did not mean he'd make her wear the dress.

He grabbed it, along with the hanger, and gave her a thumbs up - "We'll get Jenny to wear this, instead. I’ll find something less revealing for you.”

She smiled, told him she was appreciative of how much he did for her. He dismissed it, because changing around some modelling outfits was benign compared to all the things he’d do for her if she asked.

 

### ✦ DREAMING SOUL

One day, Lucy did not show up at work. She did not call in sick: she only stayed at home. Jason went to her home to see what was up. When she did not answer, he used a spare key to let himself in, and closed the door behind him. Lucy was in the shower – _maybe,_ he thought, _it isn’t so bad_. Then he heard her crying.

Why?

He had no idea. He had alluded himself into thinking she was happy now, but he began to worry that may not be the case.

Waiting for her to come out, he saw something sitting on her desk. Pile upon pile of papers, scrawled messily with all sorts of ideas. One of them, in particular, caught his eye:

_When he first made the announcement, I did not believe him. I did not want to; neither did anybody else._

_After losing Aquarius, then Natsu and Happy, the world was already off kilter._

_I was sad. I was alone._

_But at least I still had the guild, right?_

_Wrong._

_I always thought I would be happy. I spread my faith out to so many._

_With that much support, I would always have some backup. I did not think it was possible for months of hard work to disappear so suddenly._

_Not even Loke, or Cancer or Capricorn knew how to help._

_I was so lucky. I had so many people._

_Then suddenly they all disappeared._

_Who do I have now?_

Jason saw that letter, and then he saw more. Diaries and journals kept amongst complete fiction. He indulged in as many pieces as possible before finally, Lucy returned from the shower, completely unaware. But he realised, finally, that he had not fixed all of Lucy’s problems – maybe he never could. She did not even recognise him as a support in his life, let alone as somebody who genuinely helped her.

Jason had tried his best to make Lucy happy, but he had done it without really knowing who she was and what she wanted. As he greeted her, and promised to wait outside until she was dressed, he realised that he would need to become a friend if he was going to truly help her.

 

### ✦ I WANT HER DREAMS TO COME TRUE

Lucy Heartfilia wanted to be a published author. Jason may have had no idea how to publish a novel, but he did have an idea of what the next best thing might be. That lead him to organise a day with Lucy, at a place they could easily talk through the whole mess. He chose 8-Island. It had been rebuilt recently, due to damage done within the crossfire of Fairy Tail’s battle with Tartaros. As he waited for Lucy, he began to review the customer service, the atmosphere, and the pricing of the coffee he ordered. He might as well get some work done while he was there; many people would love to know whether the diner had revived to its full potential.

He wrote numbers and notes into a flipbook, recording even the slightest pros and cons, such as how the icing of the muffin melted on his tongue, leaving a sugary taste, and how the coffee had so much milk that it dulled the heat and the bitter taste to a stomach-turning scale.

He was busy scratching away at the flipbook when he felt the table rock ever so slightly, and his eyes slowly rose to see her glowing like the sunshine.

Each smile was a victory.

In her eyes, he could see no hint of the loneliness from whence he found her – only a friendly regard. Pink lips were glossy and full, curved into a brilliant smile, her posture was bold and straight, and a greeting fell from her like the lyrics to the sweetest lover’s serenade: “Hey, Jason.”

Hearing her say his name in such a joyful tone was the greatest music of all. It was rare that Lucy had such good days anymore – she often lost all of her energy by noon. He guessed that celestial spirits may have influenced her, and in that moment he prayed his thanks towards the Celestial King. Still, he realised that it was only civility and familiarity – she did not really think he was a friend.

Without hesitation, he placed a form on the table. He watched the confusion form on her face – the fairy he pulled from the rubble of a once-proud guild. Could somebody like her even exist in this world of violence and conflict?

“What is this?” she asked, when her eyes finally began to take in the true meaning of the text. Adorably, she seemed to disbelieve it.

“I’d like to hire you as a journalist. I heard your writing skills might be exactly what Sorcerer’s Weekly needs!” he enthused, giving her a thumbs-up.

Lucy’s smile never wavered, even as she pushed a tear from her cheek. He didn’t need a ‘thank you’. Her happiness was more than enough. “We can start right away,” Jason promised, “I’m doing a review on this place and I’d like your help. Don’t worry, I’ll pay.”


	3. Part 03.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Journalist &  
> The Aspiring Author

✦ ASPIRING AUTHOR

 

The name Lucy Heartfilia became a regular occurrence in Sorcerer Weekly's acknowledgements. Although Jason couldn't get her an independent job, he kept her as an intern, and constantly encouraged the magazine to publish her articles. So far, it had not been successful, but Lucy hadn't minded.

When he got her even that much, she thanked him with a hug. He remembered how soft her fingers were on his back, and the warmth of her chest touching his – most of all he remembered the way she had squeezed him before she let go.

Jason had only ever dated two girls before. Neither of them hugged him in such a way.

She presented to him a notebook each week, filled with interviews, observations and ideas, and talked for hours about the next article she would attempt. This happened each Sunday; at the café where she first got the job she said she could only have dreamed of being offered.

Coffee mugs clanked against the tabletops, and light chatter filled the room with a cosy chorus of gossip and small talk. Her voice cut through the many others, loud and clear and sweet: "When you first came to my house that day... You were going to do an article on what happened to Fairy Tail, right?"

"Yeah," Jason admitted, feeling guilty. It had already been five months since that day. He had dropped his plans for that article, deciding that a more exciting story would be how he managed to give a fairy her wings back – but that was a scoop he'd selfishly refused to share.

"Well," Lucy explained, her cheeks the colour of rosewater as she retrieved a file from her bag, "I think I can help you with that, now. I've figured out the location of over half of Fairy Tail's previous members." The file slammed against the table, giving Jason such a fright that he jumped. "Inside are the locations, or at least the last known locations, of almost all of Fairy Tail's members. Now, it's more than just me and Loke. You can track down more members and get their opinions for your article."

Overwhelmed, Jason picked up the file, flipping through. First on the list were Levy McGarden, Pantherlily and Gajeel Redfox, all listed under the same apartment beneath a newspaper clipping announcing three Fairy Tail mages, including Gajeel Redfox had joined the Custody Enforcement Unit. Although it did not mention Levy or Pantherlily, Lucy had inferred them as the most likely comrades, and backed it up with evidence from the Council's records.

He pushed the first page away, revealing the one underneath: a house had recently been purchased by a couple, some domestic disputes had been recorded, due to the fact that each reported dispute had coincided with a rainstorm, the couple had made their way into a newspaper where they clarified their situation: not a couple, when the woman is upset it rains, woman also apparently has ongoing emotional issues which complicate their relationship. Their names were not revealed, but Lucy wrote a note pointing out the woman's description as Juvia, the man's tone of speech as Gray.

Cana Alberona, Erza Scarlet, Laxus Dreyer... Jason flipped through each document she had. Some were simple: the names were directly stated. Others he was amazed at how she may have come across the information. "I have a celestial spirit, Creux. He was able to help me filter through it all to find any connections," she explained modestly. 

 

✦ WORDS SO SWEET

 

Jason assigned Lucy to write less important articles, always following her article up with some editing before the official editor got their hands on it. He quickly came to discover her personal writing style stuck out like the first star of the night. All the other articles Sorcerer's Weekly published seemed written by robots or even vultures by comparison. Even Jason felt his own writing was too emotionless against Lucy's.

In Jason's writing, he was most interested in telling people about how awesome mages were in comparison to themselves. In Lucy's writing, she was more interested in showing just how human those mages were. She focused less on powers or magic, and more on emotion and meaning. The more he read her descriptions of other magicians, he wondered how she might describe herself.

So, one day, he asked her: "I'm just another celestial mage. There's nothing special about me."

He thought she was very wrong. Jason was so fascinated by Lucy's unique approach to journalism, he wrote his own article on her while in the privacy of his home.

In writing his article, he discovered a few things about Lucy Heartfilia, or at least, how he perceived her. She was strong, he realised, and her strength came from faith and reliance in her friends, along with being a system of support herself – her magical talent emphasised that perfectly. As a celestial spirit, she had to put faith and reliance in her spirits to fight for her, but she also needed to sustain their presence in the world with her magic, and coordinate their attacks.

He also realised that she was beautiful. It was undeniable; after all she had grown famous in her short stint as an underwear model. Not to mention that her smile made his heart skip two beats, and her eyes turned his legs to noodles beneath him.

Above all, he thought, she was inspiring. It was because of her he sat down and easily wrote an entire article that would have spanned over an entire page in fine print, and the only thing he needed to write about was how she made him feel.

Lucy made him want to be better. He wanted to be able to love and laugh like she did, he wanted to write with the same emotion she did, and he wanted to become famous enough to show the world that ridiculously long article, and make sure everybody felt for Lucy the way he did.

He placed the article in his drawer, locked it, and the next day he pretended that nothing had changed; but as he and Lucy laughed over their latest scoop with steaming cups of coffee between them, he knew that there was suddenly so much more to the chime in her giggles, and the warmth he felt in her presence.

 

✦ HEART OF A FAIRY

 

Jason tried not to think of it as a date, but that just made him even more worried. At least if he let himself be convinced he could settle on what he was wearing being appropriate, but instead he was caught wondering if he was dressed in clothes that were _too_ impressive. He was in a suit with a coat and tie, not to mention that he had flowers sitting in a plastic vase waiting to go with him.

_Too much?_

If it was, he could scare Lucy away: it was the last thing he wanted. He decided to ditch the overcoat and replace it with a maroon vest instead. The small change did not make him look any less attractive, but he looked less in a need to impress. With a sigh, he left the small hotel room to meet Lucy for dinner.

The place Lucy picked out was exquisite.

There were dress codes in place preventing any kind of shorts or singlets, dress shoes were a necessity and a woman's dress could not be too revealing or she would be kicked out. Even if she escaped being kicked out, however, she may become a figure of scrutiny.

As a result, every customer was dressed in wear that was somewhere between smart casual and formal. Lucy arrived in a sky blue dress, flowing down to her ankles in soft and thin layers; one shoulder bared and the other covered in a sash of white lace.

Jason felt well settled in his trendy vest and tie up until the moment Lucy joined him by his side. His mouth gaped and his ears flamed with embarrassment and joy. "Wow, Lucy!" he exclaimed, his voice too loud, drawing the eyes of nearby servers, "You look..."

"Cool?" she asked coyly.

"Cool!" he agreed, wondering how a guy like him managed to get this close to a girl like her. "Also... beautiful,"; in a whispered breath. After a moment of blissful silence, he bowed, offering a hand to her. She took the welcome hand with a giggle from her pink lips, and he felt the soft fingertips with the sharp and very pink nails. If the waiter walking past them in that moment had spontaneously slit Jason's neck with the knife he carried then the reporter would have been happy to die.

What better moment for his last then this one?

When the waiter passed without doing such a thing, (of course not, why would he?) Jason realised that this was really happening, and it could very well happen again in the future. Maybe the next time they went on a date, he would greet her with a kiss on the cheek, and although she would be flustered, she would smile and kiss him back with a soft brush of her lips just an inch from his own gaping mouth.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment, imagining just that. Jason wanted to kiss Lucy. The fact was so strong it made his heart flutter in his chest as he firmed his hand around hers and took a step forward. A waiter kindly directed them to their seats, and Jason withdrew a chair for Lucy to sit in before excitedly landing in his own place.

It was still business, in a way, because the two were too content talking about their job. Lucy loved to speak of the things she discovered, and Jason loved to hear of them. They both kept notebooks with them for each meeting, and they both loved the feel of pen and paper and the way their words flowed together to tell a story.

Yet, within all their romantic conversations about writing and journalism, hung a lingering dread. Jason was going to have to confront his feelings one day, but Lucy was hardly in the way to deal with that. She was still in grieving, and finding her friends was her top priority: Jason often felt a spiteful annoyance rise up when he heard of those friends, and he hated it.

They made her happy. If she were to find them, she would be happy, and that was what he always wanted. That happiness, however, meant she would leave him and return to her old job.

She smiled at him over the menu, and he smiled back. For a moment, he wondered if maybe she could be happy with just him. 

He entertained the thought for days. But by the end of the week, she had run away to reform the guild.

 

 

✦ I WANT TO MAKE HER HAPPY

 

Jason had dealt with many books throughout his time. As a journalist, reading was as much a part of his profession as stalking celebrities was. In fact, it was to the point he eventually broke away from meaningless celeb gossip and stuck to the reading part. Perhaps he was getting old; the love status of Blue Pegasus' golden boys didn't interest him anymore. Perhaps it had to do with all of his heroes eventually becoming irrelevant as new, stronger mages joined the league.

Perhaps it had something to do with a blonde.

But that was a childish notion, after all, more than a year passed between his and Lucy's friendship and his decision to make himself a career in publishing.

So why, when he got contact from a Ms Lucy Heartfilia, did his heart beat become so strong?

Why did he sit at his desk - the  anxiously, waiting to see the author and discuss a contract?

Why did he stare at the door, praying for the next second to be the one where the knob twisted?

It did.

He stood up, and looked at her across the desk, and she walked in after his secretary announced it so, and when their eyes lock they shared a smile to make up for four years of separation.

Such a long time had passed, but the chemistry between them dissolved the distance and they were right back where they had been. The door closed behind her and the feeling was everything he dreamed of. An array of emotions swelled up in his throat and he let them all out in a deep, relieved sigh.

"Lucy Heartfilia, I promise you: with Pages and Paragraphs your book will get all the attention it deserves. Soon, the literary world will be praising the day Lucy Heartfilia brought her ideas into this office."

She laughed, and until that moment he had been deaf. The world sang again, and it sang the song of Lucy Heartfilia. 

"I can't wait to work with you," she assured politely. "It's been so long since we worked together."

They didn't hug or kiss or cry. They stood, one at each end of the office, and they smiled at each other with a years-old fondness for each other. 

Four years had passed. Finally, Lucy's  and Jason's happy endings were entwined. 

 

 

 


End file.
